1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information carriers integrated with an optically readable information symbol, such as one-dimensional code, a two-dimensional code, and/or other types of codes. For example, the one-dimensional code includes barcodes, and the two-dimensional code includes QR Codes®.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optical information code, such as barcodes and QR codes, have been used to bring us various services to promote the sales of commercial products, to practice public relations, and the like.
For example, service information that allows users to obtain some kind of gifts and/or incentives is coded to be contained in a QR so that the QR code is attached to commercial goods.
When a customer uses an imaging device, such as an optical information scanner, a phone's built-in camera, and the like, to read the QR code attached to a commercial product, the customer sends the readout QR code to a designated Web site through a network with the use of the phone or a computer terminal. This allows the customer to obtain some kinds of gifts and/or incentives, such as to get points added to user's accumulated points and to participate in prize competition.
In this service method using QR codes, someone can illegally read the QR code attached to a commercial product with the use of an imaging device before buying it. For this reason, it is necessary to take counter measures to prevent someone from illegally reading, with the use of an imaging device, a QR code attached to a commercial product before buying it.
In order to solve the illegal reading problem set forth above, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-198616 discloses techniques for creating a layered label consisting essentially of a first label element and a second label element to be attached on part of the outer surface of a commercial product, such as a canned coffee.
In one typical example of the disclosed techniques, a barcode for identifying various information of a corresponding commercial product is printed on one surface of the second label element, and a QR code with service information is printed on part of one outer surface of the first label element. Thereafter, the second label element is laminated on the one surface of the first label element so as to keep the QR code out of view.
This results in that the layered label with the barcode and the QR code is attached on the outer surface of the corresponding commercial product such that the first label element is mounted thereon.
The layered label allows customers to:
read the barcode with the use of an imaging device; and
read the QR code with the use of an imaging device only after removal of the second label from the layered label.
It is to be noted that U.S. Pat. Publication No. 5,726,435 corresponding to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H07-254037 discloses procedures for reading a two-dimensional code, such as a QR code, for just reference.
In the techniques disclosed in the Patent Publication No. 2004-198616, it is necessary to:
print a two-dimensional code on part of the one surface of the first label element; and
laminate, in addition to the print, the second label element on the one surface of the first label element so as to cover the whole of the two-dimensional code, thereby generating the layered label.
That is, the techniques disclosed in the Patent Publication No. 2004-198616 may take a lot of trouble to cover the whole of the two-dimensional code, thereby making the two-dimensional code externally invisible.
Moreover, the techniques disclosed in the Patent Publication No. 2004-198616 need to add, to the barcode or the like, a message representing that allows customers to remove the second label in order to read the QR code. This is because the two-dimensional code is completely covered with the second label element to be externally invisible.
In addition, the techniques need labels to attach the barcode and QR code on the outer surface of commercial products. The techniques require to provide a wide space on the outer surface of the commercial goods for attaching the layered label thereon. For this reason, the possibility of commercial-product design may be limited.
Because such specific layered labels may be used during a predetermined campaign period to give customers some kinds of gifts and/or incentives, it is necessary to:
prepare another design of commercial products for ensuring wide space on its outer surface for attaching the layered label thereon; and
prepare base materials to produce the first and second label elements. This may also take a lot of trouble to create the layered label.